Gorgeously-animated romantic fluff from the tail end of Disney's golden age. At this point, the creative team has completely mastered the art of fluidly animating animal life. They've been coaxing birds and elk and mice to move and express themselves like humans, all while retaining their unique canter and physical traits, for decades. As the latest evidence of such skilled mastery, _Lady and the Tramp_ looks absolutely spectacular. Everything from the meticulous details (the Tramp's playful, springy gait) to the more vibrant strokes (an armload of essential fight and chase scenes) is right on point, a picture-perfect realization.

When compared to those wonderful visuals and the frequent, catchy musical interludes, the accompanying plot feels secondary at best. Lady is a pampered, socially-protected upper class pet, meek but well-mannered, while the Tramp is her opposite: a scruffy, street-savvy mongrel who lives a free life amidst the constant threat of a dogcatcher's net. Their romance falls together suddenly, spanning just a single night, and doesn't seem nearly as grand or sweeping as the gilded memories might have us believe.

That's not to say there isn't a bit of magic at play here - the famous candle-lit spaghetti dinner remains an enchanting bit of thematic Disney spell-weaving - but, in this case, the film's extra-short duration works against its own best interests. At a trim seventy-six minutes, it's all over and done with in no time, with the closing scenes feeling especially rushed. Good while it lasts, especially as a sheer visual spectacle, but I think it would've benefited from another six months in the oven.